The monster from Leganés is on the loose in Rome

Diego Jiménez Rubio | 12 May 2026 | 13.55

Rafael Jódar beats Tien in Rome. Photo: gettyimages

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Rafael Jódar continues to amaze everyone with his unusual brilliance and natural talent for crushing opponents. The Spaniard secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters 1000 Rome 2026 after defeating Learner Tien with a score of 6-1 6-4, setting up a match with the winner of the Zverev and Darderi duel.

There are matches that can shape trajectories and provide many clues about what to expect from certain players. Rafael Jódar was aware of the importance of asserting his authority in the match against his contemporary Learner Tien in the round of 16 of the ATP Masters 1000 Rome 2026. An intense battle was expected between two players still maturing but with tremendous potential and contrasting styles. The match did not disappoint.

Jódar only lost his serve once

The Spanish player once again astonished with a dominant start to the match. Just as he did with Arnaldi, the player from Madrid overwhelmed Tien mercilessly in the first set, with Tien seemingly surprised by the speed and consistency of his opponent's groundstrokes. The talented left-hander sought variations in height and pace, but he faced a colossus on the other side of the net, who relentlessly pressured every ball without conceding an inch of court and consistently found ways to outmaneuver him.

Everything had gone so smoothly that Rafa could not avoid that small dose of almost inevitable relaxation at the start of the second set. This led to the break against him, with Tien increasing his intensity from the baseline and trying to be more aggressive with parallel drives, seeing that the exchange between his cross-court forehand and Jódar's backhand did not give him any advantage. Being 1-3 down in the score prompted the Madrid native to regain his best form and express it with astonishing ease on the scoreboard.

The Spanish player neutralized Tien's lefty forehand with stellar play on his backhand

He strung together four consecutive games and did not hesitate in closing out the match, as if he were born to perform in these scenarios of maximum competitive pressure. Rafael Jódar continues to inspire with his progress and aims for very important achievements in this ATP Masters 1000 Rome 2026. At the moment, his quarterfinal berth guarantees him a spot as a seed at Roland Garros 2026 and allows him to dream of advancing further in the Italian Open.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El monstruo de Leganés anda suelto en Roma